Sealed tobacco package



Nov. 7, 1950 T. E. PIAZZE SEALED TOBACCO PACKAGE Filed March 1, 1945 12 INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 7, 1950 SEALED TOBACCO PACKAGE Thomas E. Piazze, Mount Vernon, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Shellmar Products Corporation, Mount Vernon, Ohio, in. corporation of Delaware Application March 1, 1945, Serial No. 580,445

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an article and method of manufacture, having particular reference to a merchandising packet constituting an improved type of pouch structure containing tobacco, for example, formed by folding and sealing sheet material in a novel manner, and the provision of such an article and method of manufacturing the same is a principal object of the invention.

More specifically, 'it is an object of the invention to provide such a merchandising packet by folding and sealing sheet material into a tube, sealing the tube transversely a substantial distance inwardly of one of its ends to provide a protecting and stiffening flap for the pouch,

' placing the commodity into the remainder of the tube constituting the pouch section until approximately half of the section is filled with the commodity, thereby forming the body member of the packet, temporarily sealing a remaining portion of the pouch section in an area between the body member and the other end of the tube to retain the commodity within the pouch section and to provide a ready opening member to obtain access to the pouch and also to provide another protecting and stifiening flap and thereby a closing flap for the pouch.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a merchandising packet in which a sheet has been folded and sealed into a tube to provide a body member containing the commodity, and having protecting and stiffenin flaps, folding the flaps adjacent aside wall of the body member of the pouch along a fold line which will permit the flaps to extend substantially coextensively with the area of the side wall, and securing the flaps adjacent the side wall.

A further object of the invention is to fold the flaps of such a merchandisin packet so that they extend over an area substantially coextensive with that of a side wall of the packet in overlapping position and secured to each other adjacent the side wall.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a container to be made into a merchandising packet constituting a tobacco pouch by folding a sheet of heat-scalable material into a tube, sealing the tube transversely along one marginal end and placing a secondary transverse seal a substantial distance inwardly of the marginal end seal to provide a protecting and stiffening flap of the excess material between the seals.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of such a merchandising packet into a tube having a body member constituting a pouch section with sealed outwardly extending protecting and stiffening flaps, and a securing means to hold both of the flaps in protective position, one against each side of the body member, or one in overlapping relationship with respect to the other against one side of the body member.

It is also an object of the invention to form such a merchandising packet into a tube having a body memberconstituting a pouch section with marginally sealed outwardly extending protecting and stiffening flaps, and perforating one of the flaps between the body member of the pouch and a marginal seal to permit relatively easy tearing away of the marginally sealed portion to provide an opening to obtain access to the pouch.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the article possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements, which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sheet of heat-scalable material folded into a tube and transversely sealed at its lower portion to provide a pouch;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pouch shown in Fig. 1 with a commodity, such as tobacco, in an intermediate portion thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the filled pouch of Fig. 2 sealed across the top of the tube or pouch section;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the completed article as a sealed merchandising packet constituting a tobacco pouch;

Fig. '5 is a perspective view illustrating the pouch of Fig. 4 unfolded and the mouth portion about to be opened;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top portion of a packet illustrating a modified form of closure perforated for opening the same to obtain ready access to the contents;

Fig. 7 is an end view of a merchandising packet similar to that shown in Fig. 4 but with extension flaps disposed and secured adjacent opposite side walls of the body member; and

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a fragment of sheet material preferably of the type used in connection with the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is indicated generally at It) a container for packing a suitable co odity therein, such as, for example, tobacco, so that the same may be merchandised as a tobacco pouch.

Preferably, such a container is formed by first laminating a heat-sealable web to an outer protective sheet to provide a moisture-vapor impermeable wrapper, and then folding the wrapperinto the form of a tube having longitudinal marginal ends overlapping which are heat-sealed together to provide a longitudinal seam ll.

Referring to Fig. 8, the heat-scalable web may be any heat-sealable material 12, such as pliofilm, heat-sealing cellophane, or the like. The outer protective sheet l3 may be any suitable paper material but preferably is Glassine laminated to the heat-scalable material l2 by means of a micro-crystalline wax I4. Such a wax has excellent adhesive qualities and when used as a laminating medium not only provides an excellent quality of stiffness, lending to the material a leathery or metallic feel, but provides a moisturevapor barrier between the web I2 and sheet 13.

After the tube has been formed it is heatsealed across the bottom to provide a protecting and stiffening flap'indicated generally at 15. The entire flap may be heat-sealed if desired. Preferably, the tube is sealed transversely along one marginal end Hi to prevent the layers from separating. Thereafter a secondary transverse seal H is placed a substantial distance inwardly of the marginal end seal I6 to provide the stiffening flap l5. This secondary seal also defines the bottom of the container. The remainder of the tube, indicated generally at I8, constitutes the pouch section.

Such containers may be shipped to packers to be filled by them manually or automatically and completed to form a merchandising packet. However, it is a feature of the invention that such containers can be made, filled and sealed into such a packet on machines especially constructed and arranged for this purpose. In either event, approximately half of the section I8 is filled and this provides the body member I9 of the packet.

The remainder of the pouch section is next sealed in any suitable area between the body member [9 and the other end of the tubular formation to retain the commodity within the pouch section. Such a seal 20 preferably is placed across the end thereof a distance inwardly spaced from the edge. As will appear from Fig. this provides a ready opening portion to obtain access to the pouch contents. Also, this end of the tube, indicated generally at 2|, provides another protecting and stiffening flap and thereby a closing member for the pouch.

The flaps l5 and 2| then are folded and secured to the body member of the pouch. Preferably, this is done by providing the pouch flap l5 with a closing means which includes, for example, a paper or fiber button 22 and a string 23 attached thereto and secured to the flap IS in any suitable manner, as by a rivet, and preferably between the heat-seals I6 and I]. When both flaps are folded against a side wall of the body member l9 they are preferably disposed in overlapping relation. It will be, observed that each flap is substantially coextensive in area with a side wall of the body member so that these flaps provide protecting and stiffening members for the entire body and therefore readily are adapted to overv lap each other. when the cord- 23 is woundaround the body member IS, the flaps are adequately held in position after the cord has been connected to the button 22.

The flaps can be secured to each other and an adjacent side wall, or to opposite side walls, in any suitable manner such as, for example, by

- adhesive, or, when tobacco is used, a government revenue stamp. It will also be seen from Fig. 7 how the flaps can be secured to opposite sides of the body member by means of the cord 23 and button 22.

In the drawings there has been illustrated a tubular member which has gussets. The invention, however, is not limited to this type of construction. A flat or envelope type also readily can be used but the gusseted type is preferred.

It should also be noted that while a sheet consisting of a heat-scalable web having laminated thereto an outer protective covering of suitable material has been folded to provide such a tube, the invention is not necessarily limited by such a construction. Properly treated single sheets of unlaminated material, such as pliofilm, can be used to practice the invention. However, the laminated sheet is preferable because of the excellent additional protection accorded the packet, as well as the enhanced moisture-vaporproof characteristics with which such a packet is provided.

- The manner of opening such a packet after purchase by the user is amply illustrated in Fig. 5. After the flaps l5 and 2| have been separated by loosening and undoing the string, or by breaking the stam or seal as the case'may be, the, user can readily gain access to the contents of the pouch; The location of the temporary seal 20 permits the adjacent tube ends to be gripped to break the seal. After removing from the pouch the required amount of contents, the same is refolded, and because of the remaining tackiness of the seal 20 the walls of the tube will again adhere to each other.

In Fig. 6 there has been shown a modification of the closure portion of the pouch. By placing a marginal seal 24 immediately along the edge and then weakening, such as by perforating, an area 25 a suitable distance between the body member l9 and the seal 24, a ready means to open the pouch is provided. This type of construction is particularly advantageous where tough tearing material, such as rubber hydrochloride, is utilized. In such construction it is but necessary for the user to tear off the sealed portion along the perforations 25and discard it. The opening for access tothe contents is thus readily provided.

shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that thefollowing claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween;

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: L

As a new article of manufacture, a sealed packet containing a granular material such as tobacco, said packet serving as a storage pouch l or the granular material after the seal is broken, said article comprising, in combination, a fiat tube having a length 3:: formed of pliable sheet material the inner surface of which is heat-sealable together. said tube being transversely sealed along one of its open ends and being transversely sealed along a line inwardly spaced from said one end a. distance of approximately 2:, the width of each of said transverse seals being only a small fraction of the dimension :1: whereby the opposing walls of said tube are not sealed together for the greater portion of the distance between said one end and said inwardly spaced line, a granular material filling said tube beyond said inwardly spaced line for a distance of approximately 1:, said granular material being confined to this space, the tube being transversely sealed along a line on the opposite side of said filling from said inwardly spaced line, and the flap portions of said tube extending on opposite sides of said filling being folded therearound.

THOMAS E. PIAZZE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 274,044 Smith Mar. 13, 1883 1,756,919 Becker et al Apr. 29, 1930 2,178,730 Stein Nov. 7, 1939 2,189,431 Moore Feb. 6, 1940 2,214,172 Moore Sept, 10, 1940 2,262,111 Moore Nov. 11, 1941 2,333,587 Salfisberg NoV 2, 1943 2,350,931 Salfisberg June 6, 1944 Salfisberg Aug. 14, 1945 

